Francis Barretto Spinola
|died= |placeofbirth= Stony Brook, Long Island, New York |placeofdeath= Washington, D.C. |placeofburial= Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York |placeofburial_label= Place of burial |image= |caption= Francis Barretto Spinola |allegiance= United States of America Union |branch=Union Army |serviceyears= |rank= Brigadier General |commands= "Excelsior Brigade" (the Second Brigade, Second Division, Third Army Corps) |unit= |battles= American Civil War *Battle of Washington *Battle of Wapping Heights |awards= |laterwork= }} Francis Barretto Spinola (March 19, 1821 – April 14, 1891) was the first Portuguese American to be elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving as a representative from New York from 1887 to 1891. He also served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Genealogy Francis Barretto Spinola was the son of João Leandro Spinola, a Portuguese merchant from Madeira Island, and Elizabeth Phelan (1790–1873)Early New York Naturalization Records, p. 278, daughter of Captain John Phelan (1747, Waterford, Ireland - 1827, Baltimore, Maryland), who served in the Revolutionary War, and his wife Susanna Davis. The Spinola family, of noble Genovese origin, moved into Madeira Island in the late 15th, early 16th century, as merchants. They quickly mixed with the Island's population, and today the majority of the Madeira inhabitants descends from them. The Barreto surname is Portuguese. The fact that the Spinola surname is originally Genovese seems to be the cause of a misunderstanding about his father nationality and background, commonly believed to be an Italian himself. Biography Spinola was born in Stony Brook, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. He attended Quaker Hill Academy in Dutchess County and then passed the bar exam before establishing a law practice in Brooklyn. He was elected alderman of the Second Ward in Brooklyn in 1846 and 1847, and was reelected in 1849 and served for four years. Politically a Democrat, he was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1855. He then served as a member of the New York State Senate from the 3rd District between 1858–61, and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1860. He was commissioner of New York Harbor when the Civil War erupted. Spinola joined the volunteer army in a New York regiment and was commissioned as an officer. He was appointed brigadier general of Volunteers on October 2, 1862. He commanded two relief efforts to lift the Confederate siege of Washington, NC. Spinola assumed command of the New York "Excelsior Brigade" (the Second Brigade, Second Division, Third Army Corps), on July 11, 1863, following the Battle of Gettysburg as the Army of the Potomac strove to fill open command slots created by battle casualties. Spinola's brigade led the Union troops on July 23 at the Battle of Wapping Heights near Warrenton, Virginia, suffering 18 men killed, including two officers. Spinola was wounded in the fighting, along with dozens of his men. He was honorably discharged from the service in August 1865. Following the war, Spinola was a banker and insurance agent, and became an influential figure among the rapidly growing Italian immigrant community in the New York City area. He was a U.S. Representative from New York's 10th District from 1887–91, and died in office in Washington, D.C.. He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. See also *List of American Civil War generals Notes External links * Retrieved on 2008-12-28 * Retrieved on 2008-09-05 *Biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website *The National Italian American Foundation.org *Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, General Spinola wounded, Volume XXVII, Part I, pages 538-541. Category:1821 births Category:1891 deaths Category:Union Army generals Category:Excelsior Brigade Category:People of New York in the American Civil War Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York Category:New York State Senators Category:Members of the New York Assembly Category:American people of Madeiran descent Category:American politicians of Portuguese descent pt:Francis Barretto Spinola